The state of Missouri is slated to release a report on mass layoffs and unemployment sometime this week. The report will be a telling tale of either a lingering recession or a lifting one.

Missouri has 125,000 less jobs since December 2007. The second largest city in the state, St. Louis, was afflicted with more than half of that number.
Since the recession began, St. Louis has lost an estimated 71,000 jobs. With an estimated population of 354,361, that number is especially concerning.

Missouri has, however, seen the unemployment rate lowering in recent months. At 9.1 percent, Missouri’s unemployment rate trails behind the national average, which currently stands at 9.5 percent.

In June of this year, 145,000 employees across the state were laid off in mass layoffs, or layoffs of 50 workers or more.

In addition to reporting on employment issues, the July report will report deaths on the job as well as the costs of doing business for sellers.